Looseleaf Paper
by Hinata-hime
Summary: To her, he was just one confusing math problem. To him, she was the scariest person alive. ShikaTem


**Disclaimer: **yeah, sure...fanfic, own nada! (except the plot)

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Loose-leaf Paper

(_O, what is unrequited love?_)

There are certain things in life, that really can't be explained. There are such things in life, that don't make sense no matter how many different angles you look at it. There are some things in life, that were not meant to solve with logic. There are few things in life, that make one believe a surreal wold exists. Was that the strange feeling?

(_It's a very complex matter_)

There were some things that didn't quite satisfy her thirst for knowledge. Everything had an explanation, if one sat around and took the time to think about it. However, whenever she'd try and tackle this problem, it always came to the same conclusion in her mental calculator: ERROR or UNDEFINED.

(_One that can't be explained through words_)

As a proud ninja of her village, there was no way this problem would get to her. No, she was too smart for that. Yet every time she left and returned to that place…there was a strange feeling always present. Sometimes it would be in the form of an inner voice. A very annoying inner voice at that. But that voice was only meant for her ears and her ears alone. Because what would the world think; no, more importantly, what would he think to those words?

(_O, what is unnecessary love?_)

To think that they'd both met in the oddest of places. As opponents across the battlefield, in a matter of speaking. It was close enough to a battlefield. She hadn't thought too highly of him at first, but then again, she took a habit of judging people by their exterior. In most cases she was right. But there are always exceptions to rules…

(_Is it the way you make me feel?_)

However, are there reasons for these exceptions? That answer in this case was pretty obvious: no. Or maybe it was a coincidence, the luck of the draw. No, she wasn't one to believe in such nonsense. Even thinking about it now makes her head hurt. Confusion is a foreign aspect of the mind, for one that always keeps a clear head.

(_Is it the one thing I cannot have?_)

No, that wasn't true. He'd confused her plenty of times before. Even too much for her liking. How someone could be so…there were no words for it. He was just so him. It was like a puzzle that the pieces didn't quite fit together so well, but in the end all that really was missing was a tiny square that was disregarded in the corner.

(_People have always told me_)

There are sometimes things that make people feel better when in such a state. She, however, hardly found time for such things, and instead channeled that confusion into a sort of anger; hacking away at opponents or just anything that got between her and a meter's length. Much to her siblings' discomfort around her in such states, they were a sort of mental support.

(_There is no room for love_)

Well, in a matter of speaking. They never quite understood her relation to him, nor did they know at all if a relation even existed. There were just some times, when she'd say something was troubling her. No, they both know it, even unspoken. She never did have the heart to actually tell them he was the cause of it, this pain. Not that it'd be hurting them, it was that she didn't have the heart to see him getting killed by her two over-protective siblings.

(_Not in this life_)

So not dragging anyone but herself and her own confinement into the situation, of course there were times when she found herself alone. This were the few times that she wasn't training, nor on a mission, just there. Truthfully, she considered it unhealthy to mope like some child, because, she wasn't some child anymore.

(_Such things would get in the way_)

She wondered how he could have such a skill. A special skill that belonged to him, and him alone. Well, in her eyes anyway. With others, who knows…they might see that technique in someone else too. And she feared it the most out of all skills. This was the most terrifying, the most mind-boggling, the most…complex of all techniques.

(_Show your weakness_)

She wondered, could a bloodline copy the skill? Could just about anyone master it? Surely in all his brilliance, he could come up with such a skill. But, then again, why would he create something that caused others trouble. For she knew, that he of all people, loathed trouble.

(_And before you know it_)

She knew that too much for her own good. Perhaps she knew more then she'd have liked to. Maybe that was the problem. Racking her brain for more possible solutions, she took out a pen and paper, and began to write some causes down. She didn't normally need to think things through this deep, but of course, he was a special case.

(_You were gone_)

She was sitting here, on that hot summer day, under a tree in a village that she didn't call home. Normally there were tons of people bustling about, but the heat had drove them inside. She was thankful for that. Silence made it a lot easier to think clearly. But silence is only meant to be broken.

(_But the person who told me that_)

It was rare for her, however, to be all alone, especially in a foreign village. Well, now she visited numerous times, but it wasn't home. And anything that wasn't home, was foreign. And foreign places needed to be scouted out several times, or else it was unsafe.

(_Never had experience that feeling for himself_)

Just like him. He wasn't home, therefore he wasn't safe. No matter how much she'd like to think it was indeed something she could trust, something was always tugging her back. Maybe it was what her brother had said. Something along the lines of: emotions get in the way, therefore ninja's have no use for such things.

(_Because sometimes keeping a lid on these things_)

And yet, these things weren't exactly controllable either. She was sure after recent events that he felt similar. However, he was better at concealing these strange factors better then anyone she knew. Not that she wasn't good, because oh, she was. But maybe it was that split second hesitation, that made the big difference in their strengths.

(_Is worse then letting loose_)

Enough about him, though. Her main focus was this earlier predicament. And it was annoying. It was like trying to swat a pesky fly without flyswatters…or her trusty enormous fan. Yes, she could always count on her precious weapon. Whether it was for her own protection, or just to scare him to death. Speaking of him…she looked to her paper. Eyes widening at what she'd written, her hands wasted no time at crumpling it into a tight ball, and discarding it to the ground.

(_If life starts out_)

This wouldn't do. What if someone had actually seen that? Her face felt a bit hotter, but it was for sure that the temperature had just gone up, no more, no less. She pulled out another blank sheet and started from scratch. Yet, there was nothing more then several lines. She was in no mood to think this hard.

(_With an empty wine bottle_)

Besides, if everyone else had a 'day-off', why should she? Oh yes, maybe because she was on a 'mission'. What a stupid mission at that. It was a total waste of time, in her opinion. Go check up on the leaf village, as her brother had said. Like they needed checking up.

(_And each feeling_)

There must have been an alternate motive behind it. Alas, another problem she wasn't willing to tackle at the moment. Perhaps over the last few days spent in each other's company planing the nearing Chuunin exams, his weird personality began to rub off. Damn him to hell…

(_Is poured inside_)

Again frustrated with her lack of progress, she crushed the paper in her hands, unleashing some of those feelings normally kept inside. What would he say now? Seeing her in such a state? Would he laugh? Shrug? Not even notice? No, he noticed everything, amazingly.

(_There's a certain point_)

A butterfly wandered slowly across her field of vision. They must have led easy lives, those creatures. Not that she envied it; being human was perfectly fine with her. She silently followed it as it fluttered near the ground in all its might. And avoided another human, who happened to be wandering out in this immense heat. "See something you like?"

(_When it can no longer be filled_)

There he stood, with that dull expression. It was enough to make her frown, how someone so laid-back could be so high-ranked, so respected. "Yeah, the clouds." Irritated at his stupid reply, she used her paper ball and threw it at his head. Being so light, it didn't have much force. Not that he made any effort to block it either. He could here her mumble something along the lines of: idiot.

(_And its contents overflows_)

The two exchanged eye contact for awhile, not really bothering to do anything else. "Shouldn't you be sleeping or something?" She took her precious fan, and stooped down to his level. He seemed to get taller every time, damn. It was getting harder for her to threaten him.

(_And spills onto the white tablecloth_)

He'd taken up one of the two paper balls and tossed it lazily in the air. "No." Besides, he found cloud gazing much more enjoyable. "I come to get you to a meeting, and I find you littering, wasting good paper." He unwrapped it, and looked at the ink scribbled upon it. His eyebrow raised slightly. "I never knew you did poetry."

(_And it's stained_)

She whisked it out of his hands and tore it in two. He seemed to get a kick out of her new attitude towards this. "There's a reason it's crumpled, genius." She'd left annoying and persistent out of her list. "And I'm sure you didn't come all the way out here just to bother me."

(_And these stains won't come off_)

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and closed his eyes. Signs, of course, that he was thinking. He was a hell-of-a-lot more patient then she was. "I just hope you know I memorize things fast. I could easily rewrite that."

(_No matter how hard you scrub_)

Yes, definitely annoying. Annoying yet smart, the lazy ass. Her eyebrow twitched. "Dare try it and the ferret will have a nice new target." And to prove her point, opened the fan, revealing the three purple circles.

(_Because they're there as a reminder_)

He gave a sigh. He hadn't come to pick a fight, because she would easily win, now knowing all the secret techniques he used. She was one of the scariest people he knew, after all. Scarier then his own mom! "I get it, I get it. It's too hot to argue anyway."

(_That one has to pause_)

Che. He was so easygoing. How did his darn mind work? Oh, that's right: ERROR. "Whatever." She slipped the fan into its rightful place on her back. "So why did you come then?" She'd have figured it out by herself, but being around this guy always made it harder to think. It was that stupid special skill he possessed.

(_And take a drink_)

He shrugged. "I decided to be nice for once, and fetch you for the meeting today." What was she, a dog? Fetch…he says. Her eyebrow twitched again. Why was she always so easily frustrated around him? At least she wasn't his teacher; he must have given that guy hell.

(_Because a white tablecloth_)

In all earlier confusion about error and undefined minds, she'd forgotten about the exam meeting. That was why she was here in the first place, was it not? "Yeah, the meeting. Like anyone's going to show up in that stuffy room on the hottest day of the year and listen to people like you drone on and on." She felt an arm drape over her shoulder.

(_Is prettier then when spotted_)

"I guess you're right." Ah, too close for comfort, thank you very much. She brushed his arm away, resisting the urge to elbow him in the stomach. She began to walk away, a twinge of annoyance in her step. When they were alone and not in midst of battle, she acted this way. "Oh yes, by the way." He remained in his place, and looked towards her, with an unreadable expression. On her face, she had on a quizzical look. "I agree. Let's say we take a drink."

(_Don't you agree?_)

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**AN: **Happy birthday Shay! Hope you liked your little request fic there :P (this caused me sooo much trouble seeing that you told me 2 days before ur b-day...not to mention my first time with this pairing) And now, for anyone that's a bit confused, the (_italics) _is actually the poem she wrote subconsciously...lol (don't mind the crappiness of this poem either, kay?) And I decided not to name them (though it was pretty obvious) since they never actually acknowledge each other by their first names anyway. So loved it, liked it, hated it, okay-ed it? XD 


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